Aftermath
by Mrsfillylover
Summary: One year after the giant war Nico is still struggling. Will a surprise visit from his father help his situation or just put him back where he started? Rated T for violence (more so in later chapters) and slight language (and I mean slight)
1. Kidnapped (sort of)

**A/N This is hopefully going to be a decent story. I actually have ideas for more chapters unlike my usual upload in a rush and hope for inspiration. I was working on a second chapter for Prince of Shades (see I am trying) and this happened, so knew story!  
This was inspired by Mission to Marzipan's Instead of Going Under  
A song for this fic: Welcome to My Life - Simple Plan  
Pairings: Annabeth/Percy Rachel/Nico (in later chapters)  
Disclaimer: I do not own PJO**

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Nico just lay there in his tiny bedroom in his tiny apartment, curtains drawn and lights off. Staring at the opposite wall, he listened to Rachel and Percy trying to convince him to get him outside or at least open a window. He just didn't care anymore, he was losing the will to live.

It was a pathetic sight, a year after the giant war and still unable to cope. It wasn't the day to day tasks of caring for himself that Nico was struggling with, no, it was the memories. Every time he closed his eyes he saw the evil grins of his captors. He heard his own screams. He smelled his own blood. He knew those images would never truly leave him. He would be stuck with them for the rest of his life. For the rest of his life he would hear a symphony of insane laughter and strangled screams. As much as his friends at camp, most prominent among them Rachel and Percy, tried to be understanding. As much as they tried to help, they just didn't know.

They didn't know the feeling of flesh torn from flesh. They didn't know the agony of a brand on your neck. They didn't know, and Nico would never let them. Nico would never let his friends know that pain. The friends that had become his family could never know. The only thing that kept him holding on was the thought of protecting his friends. Rachel, Percy, Annabeth, even the Stoll brothers, if they ever felt that pain…

Nico didn't even take his eyes off the blank stretch of wall when his father appeared in the doorway behind Percy and Rachel. His friends didn't notice the god glaring at them until Nico finally spoke.

"Get out." His two friends looked at each other, bewildered.

"Not you, _him_." Nico spat out the last word as though it was the worst insult he could think of.

Rachel and Percy turned to see who it was and immediately jumped to their feet, half out of respect for the god, half out of anger on behalf of their friend.

"What are you doing here, Lord Hades?" Asked Rachel, Percy looked like he was struggling to keep himself from punching Hades in the jaw.

"I came to see my son." Hades replied simply, inclining his head slightly in Nico's direction.

"You've got some nerve!" Said Percy rather hotly, "It's been nearly a year since the war and you choose now to show up? Look at him! All we can get him to tell us is 'I was alone for so long' and 'don't bring my father into this'. If you'd paid a bit more attention to your son he might not be in this apartment! He could be fully recovered by-"

"Could you two go into the other room for a minute?" All three of them turned to Nico in astonishment. Surely he didn't want to be alone with his father. He had been telling them to leave Hades out of the loop for months now. Nevertheless Rachel and Percy both stood and left the room, sending nervous glances over their shoulders as they went.

Hades moved towards his son whose attention had returned to the wall. Sitting down in Percy's empty chair he leaned forward, examining Nico's condition. "You're healing well." He said finally.

"What do you want from me? I'm not in the mood to make small talk."

"Son, you've had a… hard year and a difficult recovery but by now you should be back on your feet." Nico just shook his head. _Unbelievable, he shows up after a year of ignoring me and has the nerve to tell me to get over it._ As if he had read Nico's mind Hades continued, "I would have come sooner but I got the impression you didn't want to see me."

"Never stopped you before." mumbled Nico bitterly. Then, much more clearly, he said, "Get out."

"Oh, I will, and you will accompany me."

"What makes you think I'll do that?"

"No matter what those giants did to you I am still your father and you are still my-"

"Son, I'm your son. There's a big difference between son and errand boy. I'm not going back to your palace to run around doing all the jobs you can't be bothered to do."

"I don't expect you to. I just want you to come home."

Nico snorted, "Who're you and what have you done with Hades?" He honestly didn't care if his father blasted him to a pile of ash for being disrespectful. It would just be a relief. "I don't recall you being so eager for me to 'come home' when they found me half dead in that cave, or when I was ten and you left me to fend for myself. But I guess you need something done now, right?"

"Nico, you have responsibilities, I gave you a year to recover now you are coming with me."

Nico sat up straight and looked his father full in the face, "No! I'm eighteen, you aren't in charge anymore! I don't have to listen to you!"

For a split second Nico saw an angry fire blaze in his father's eyes until the god managed to calm himself.

"You're behaving like a child. I am bringing you back to the Underworld, end of discussion." Hades made to grab Nico's wrist but his son pulled away.

"Don't pull that 'my word is final' crap on me. You can't just intimidate me into going with you."

"I don't need to." Said Hades, he flicked his wrist and Nico vanished.

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**A/N Good? Bad? OOC? Let me know in a REVEIW!**


	2. Grounded

**A/N It looks like angst is taking a break for this chapter. I bought it a ticket to Cuba!  
A song for this fic: Worst Day Ever - Simple Plan  
Disclaimer: I do not own PJO**

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I_ always forget he can do_ that. Nico thought angrily as he took in his surroundings. The black marble walls and floors and dark wood furnishings were all too familiar. He was in his old room in Hades' palace. Everything was exactly as he had left it before the war. A picture of his sister sat on the desk, an old pack of mythomagic cards was set on his bedside table. It seemed almost an insult, to be brought back to the source of his problems. If he had never left camp all those years ago he wouldn't have ended up here, if he hadn't ended up here he wouldn't have been captured in the first place. But then again, the more reasonable part of his brain chided, if he hadn't come to the Underworld all those years ago, the titan war would've destroyed the whole of western civilization.

Nico growled in frustration and threw himself on the black silk covers of his four-poster bed. It was impossible for him to hate or like this place in the end. "Now what am I supposed to do?" Nico asked the empty room.

Or at least he thought it was empty, "You can start by agreeing not to pull any of your old stunts."

He turned his head in the direction of the voice. There, in Nico's favorite leather armchair, sat Hades. Nico didn't bother to sit up; he just stared at the black canopy over his head. "Which stunts are we talking about?" While being back in his father's realm had relieved his exhaustion, it hadn't done anything to improve his mood and Nico was not looking forward to another conversation with his father.

"Attempting to break down the door when you're sent here for your own good, climbing down the side of the castle," Nico smiled at the memory but quickly reminded himself to be angry and frustrated, "demolishing the room when you get frustrated-"

Nico stuck his hand up in the air as if he was pointing something out on his bed's canopy and said "That's how most teenage boys deal with stuff."

"Not my son." Nico sighed and his arm flopped down, "Do I need to continue?"

"I got the general message. Can I at least IM Percy, tell him what's going on?"

"He knows." Said Hades shortly, "Insolent little brat that Jackson. I told him you were coming to the Underworld with me and he was getting that ridiculous pen out." Nico smirked at his father; he obviously didn't know what Percy would do for the people he cared about. Hell, he'd jumped (read: fallen) into Tartarus for Annabeth. It doesn't really get more loyal than that. "I would wipe that grin of your face if I were you, Persephone arrived yesterday, she won't be pleased to see you."

"She won't have to see me. I don't plan on staying long, and staying in this room is sounding like a good idea to me."

Hades suddenly stood, shocking Nico out of his cocky attitude. "Well it does not sound like a good idea to me. I brought you here so you would start taking care of what you are responsible for. Until you sort out your priorities, I expect you to remain in the Underworld and do as you are told!"

Nico finally sat up. Rather than bolting upright as he had in his apartment, he slowly swung his legs over the edge of the bed and pulled himself up straight. Glaring at his father he opened his mouth to refuse but stopped at the sight of Hades' narrowed eyes.

"Fine, what do I have to do first?"

"Dinner will be served in one hour, your stepmother and I will see you in the dining hall on time. I trust you remember your way around the palace?" Nico nodded reluctantly, "Good, do not be late." With that Hades started to glow and Nico averted his eyes from his father's true godly form.

"Well this really sucks." Said Nico flopping down in the chair his father had just vacated with his legs over one arm and using the other as a headrest. This chair had always been his favorite merely because of its size. Hades rarely shrank to smaller than sixteen feet and when he used to lecture Nico after sending him to his room (it had happened quite often actually) this was just _his_ chair. Nico had quickly learned to avoid the awkward and make sure that the chair was vacant when he was punished with time in his room.

Nico was grateful that he had an hour to think things through. In less then twenty minutes he had been taken out of his apartment by the immortal parent he hadn't heard from in a year, sent to the palace he hadn't been in for two years, and told that he couldn't leave the Underworld unless he started behaving better. Just in case you didn't notice, THAT'S A LOT TO TAKE IN!

_I'm eighteen for the gods' sake! _Thought Nico, _I can't just be grounded! _

Nico was so lost in thought that it took a minute for the Iris Message to catch his attention. When the son of Poseidon cleared his throat for the sixth time Nico finally looked up.

"Percy? What are you doing? If my dad finds out-"

"He'll blast me. Yeah, yeah, heard it from Rachel already."

"I still think it's a stupid idea!" came the Oracle's voice from the distance, making Percy chuckle.

"Anyway," said Percy turning his attention back to Nico, "what's happening?"

"Apparently I'm grounded. Dad told me that 'until I get my priorities sorted out I'm expected to remain in the Underworld and do as I'm told'. I've got an hour until I have to get my ass to dinner and pretend I'm happy to be back." Percy shifted uncomfortably his eyes fixed on a spot behind Nico. "He's right behind me isn't he?" Asked Nico thinking his luck wouldn't have improved.

"Actually no, not this time. It's just… do you think that… maybe if you…" Percy was obviously struggling to find the right way to say whatever he had risked his life to say, so Rachel came up behind him and took over not bothering to be the slightest bit sensitive.

"What seaweed brain here is trying to say is, maybe this'll be good for you. You can get back to being your usual creepy prince of death self and recover from the shock of the war at the same time." Nico's jaw dropped and Percy clapped a hand to his forehead. "What? You both know I don't believe in sugar coating things like this."

"It's just-," began Percy, "you know what? Never mind. But you're okay, Nico?"

"I'm fine, just frustrated. He still treats me like I'm twelve."

"You'll get through it." Said Percy reassuringly, "we should probably go back to our own apartments in case someone Underworld-y comes over to pick something up."

"Okay, I'll talk to you soon then."

"For sure." Said Rachel, then Nico broke their connection and he was alone in his room once again.

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**A/N Send angst a postcard (or REVIEW) telling what you thought about this. I dont' care if I only get flames, that just means roasting marshmallows! :)**


	3. Errand Boy Goes to Dinner

**A/N Welcome to chapter 3!  
Replies to reviews:  
DerangedOtakuFangirl: Sorry not much angst in this chapter but I have some designated angst time for next chapter  
DerangedOtakuFangirl: Thanks, glad you like it! I've always liked fics like this too  
mrsspecialk: Thanks! Your reveiw made my day! Hope this is soon enough lol**

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When Nico entered the dining hall he was greeted by a not-so-reassuring sight. Hades was leaning back in his chair at the head of the table surveying him with a cold stare, like he was making sure he wouldn't make a break for it, Persephone looked him up and down before briefly meeting his eyes with a look of disdain and turning back to changing the flower arrangement with a sniff. What Nico was wearing probably didn't improve the queen's opinion of him, ripped black jeans and a black t-shirt with a skeleton's ribcage printed on the front. Not unlike what he always used to wear, and, if the affect on his stepmother's mood was any indication, it still wasn't scoring him any points. Hades gave him a curt nod and gestured for his son to take the empty seat to his right. Nico groaned inwardly, this would not be fun.

The small… _family_ sat in silence except for the clinking of cutlery for most of the meal. When they had all nearly finished the last course, Nico was beginning to hope that he could just sneak away after the meal and not have to endure another conversation with his father, but, of course, his luck would never be that good.

"Tomorrow, Alecto will be doing an assessment of your powers." The sound of Hades' voice broke Nico's silent mantra of _'sit up straight, sit up straight, sit up straight' _startling him into nearly dropping the goblet halfway to his lips. "Just to ensure that nothing was… affected by your part in the war." He nodded, determined not to do or say anything that would cause Persephone's amused smile to widen.

Nico finished what was on his plate and pushed out his chair making to stand but Hades placed a firm hand on his shoulder and pulled him back to his seat.

"Not so fast. I still need to speak with you." Persephone's grin did indeed widen at the plain discomfort on Nico's face. _She's going to be even worse than before,_ he thought bitterly, _why is it always me? _"I don't want any of your tricks during the assessment. Alecto may have you try shadow travel; you will travel to exactly where she tells you. I've already explained that you are not to leave the Underworld."

"And if I do leave?" Nico asked defiantly,

"If you do leave," said Hades raising an eyebrow, "you will be defying a direct order. You have faced the punishment for that before, would you like to repeat the experience?"

"I'd rather not," he mumbled under his breath.

"You may go."

Nico finally stood up from the table and, with one last look at Persephone's gleeful face, left the room.

The walk back upstairs was a serious case of déjà vu for Nico. Every skeleton jumped to attention when he passed, as he followed the familiar corridors to his room. It was a strange reaction; he hadn't been near the dead for a year and had tried to avoid the living for that period of time, now any reaction at all surprised him, that doesn't even come close to describing what he felt when he was met with respect. Not only were his surroundings of black marble and obsidian familiar, but his emotions as well. When he was younger he would often leave dinner seething about one thing or another, usually a degrading comment about his mother that he had retaliated to and been reprimanded for. Why couldn't his father just go one meal without embarrassing, provoking, or punishing him? Would it really be so hard to just eat in silence and let Nico scurry away to his room? Nico sighed; his life would never be that easy.

Reaching his room the son of Hades was surprised to find the door locked. Nico wiggled the handle, shoved his shoulder against the door, and kicked at the bottom, but eventually he just gave up and slid down the length of the wall into his typical leave-me-alone-my-life-sucks position. Now what? Hades was obviously trying to tell him something or he wouldn't have left his son out in the empty hallway, if he was going to lock the door he usually waited for the thin boy to enter his room.

Unless… Nico cursed in Greek. When he used to spend a large segment of the year in the Underworld, after dinner he went out to collect the days earnings from Charon, and check on Cerberus. Hades had told him that he had been brought back to take care of what he was responsible for, so once again, Nico was demoted to errand boy. So much for 'just want you to come home', but this was his father, had he honestly expected a bit of freedom?

With a huff, Nico rose from his awkward position against the wall and began making his way to the servants' staircase; an obsidian spiral staircase that ran the entire height of the castle as to provide easier access for the skeletal help. Taking this route made almost absolutely sure that he could avoid his father and Persephone. Nico would rather not have another encounter with his stepmother.

Deciding he would rather not repeat the time when he'd gotten so dizzy running down the steps that he'd fallen and rolled the rest of the way down, he went slowly and tried to think about something other than the steep staircase spiraling downward. On his way down Nico bumped into some skeletal maids and, being much stronger than them, accidentally destroyed them. Nico hissed in frustration and used his powers to bring them back to one piece.

Despite the recent meal, the unfamiliar use of his powers drained quite a bit of Nico's energy and left him shuffling along tiredly. Resigned to the fact that he wouldn't be getting back in his room with out doing his job, he kept on his way ignoring the pounding in his head. Every step he took increased his headache and the buzzing in his ears intensified. The soft buzz was always there, the dead alerting him to their presence but now they were demanding attention; screaming for him to give them some recognition. A constant asset now became a temporary torture.

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**A/N Send angst another postcard (or a REVIEW) telling him what you thought! Flames will only result in more marshmallows**


	4. A Vicous Dog Saves My Brain

**A/N Hola! This is just a filler chapter so it isn't as long as the others but I did try me very bestest!(I can't believe I just did that...) The begninning isn't as good as I had hoped it would be but I'm not sure how to make it any better, so please tell me in a REVIEW or PM if you know how to fix it!  
Replies to REVIEWS:  
Ukelele Pikachu: I'm glad you liked it. Your review made me feel ever so warm and fuzzy  
DerangedOtakufangirl: Here is your angst! Well, kind of. Near the end there's a bit.  
A song for this fic: Here me now - Hollywood Undead**

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Nico stumbled out of the gates and made his way to the River Styx. The sound of the black grass crunching under his uneven footsteps was greatly exaggerated by the fact that the dead were grabbing desperately at his shirt begging to be released. Normally spirits couldn't make contact with the living but weakened sons of the Underworld seemed to be an exception. He shrugged them off but really regretted leaving his sword in his apartment; the dead aren't big fans of Stygian Iron. Especially not sharpened Stygian Iron wielded by an experienced swordsman. Nico seriously doubted that his father would let him keep his sword now; Stygian Iron is rare, extremely valuable, and not to be wasted on errand boys. The son (read: expendable errand boy) of Hades walked the familiar path without any need to concentrate on where his feet took him, a good thing too, or he probably would've fainted from the effort. The only time he could remember his powers draining him this much was when he had shadow traveled* for the first time.

Finally reaching the river he was more drained than ever and was resorting to using a towering (or as towering as something can be underground) poplar tree for support. The ferryman eased his boat into the decaying dock and began ushering the spirits off.

He was about to return to the surface when Nico called out, "Charon, wait!" The immortal turned in surprise, or possibly irritation, to the demigod leaning fighting to keep whatever shred of dignity remained. Chest heaving, Nico stumbled up to Charon and held out his hand, "I need the money."

"What are you doing back here? I thought you were giving this place the cold-shoulder."

"Believe me, it wasn't my idea to come back. Just give me today's earnings and I'll be on my way."

"What happened to you?" asked Charon, as if he had only just noticed the Nico's condition, "You look like you've been through hell?" Nico gave him a pointed look letting him know that his jokes were not appreciated and shook his hand insistently, still waiting for the money, "Oh, alright." Charon plopped the small bag in the demigod's outstretched palm and turned to leave.

"All of it," said Nico tiredly, knowing that the bag was much to light to be the full day's income. Charon walked back to the boy and emptied a fistful of coins into the pouch, "Thank you."

Turning on his heel Nico momentarily forgot his exhaustion and made to walk normally before being overwhelmed by a wave of nausea. Charon chuckled in the distance and Nico cursed under his breath.

Nico staggered along the worn path to the security lines to make sure that Cerberus wasn't having any unplanned snacks. The headache tormenting Nico was only worsened when it was joined by the buzzing in his ears he always felt when he was around the dead. Of course, he had been hearing it since he had arrived in the Underworld but its volume, oh its volume! The buzzing sound of combined voices of the dead mixed with the pounding blood in his ears swelled to a roar Nico had never felt before now. He moaned, the sheer sound of it threatening to tear his brain to shreds.

"Cer-Cerberus…" Nico moaned, he couldn't take the noise anymore, yet, he didn't have the strength to escape it.

Cerberus whined pitifully, almost as if he was sympathetic and bent low, placing his center muzzle alongside Nico. Gently, so as not to harm his old friend, Cerberus nudged him through a line of the dead and into an empty clearing. The tumult raging inside Nico's head died down somewhat and the demigod moved his hand tentatively to Cerberus's snout to give him quick pat before, setting off down the path once again. Thanks to the guidance from his vicious giant three-headed dog, Nico was separated from the dead and had an easier path to the palace. He was still stumbling along but it was a much more manageable feat to reach the castle without the roar of the dead in his ears.

The palace gates came into view and with them, The Fields of Punishment. It was then that Nico realized that when Cerberus had removed him from the security check-point, he had been moved to a different path than the one he had first used. Cerberus had sent him along the main path to the gate rather than to the servants' entrance.

At first this made very little difference for Nico, he still stumbled as much as before and there was still a slight ringing in his ears. Not until he made it within earshot of the Fields did he realize just how severe this could be for him. With every scream of pain emitted from a soul, an old wound reopened itself to that same feeling. With every cry of anguish a nightmare of a memory flashed across his vision. As he drew closer and closer the memories came faster, closer together until Nico could no longer distinguish them from each other and they become a blur of nightmarish scenes and cruel laughter.

In his already weakened state, the memories were too strong for Nico to push back and they took over. Nico saw flashes of his torture and screamed in agony, feeling the old pain flare in his nearly healed scars and burns. He fell to his knees holding his head in his hands. How could pain be this strong? How could possibly have intensified since its first infliction? As the pain reached an even higher level, the volume of Nico's screams built, until they were heard through the entire Underworld. Not a soul (living or dead) made a sound. All activity stopped in Elysium, the shades froze in place in The Fields of Asphodel, the sound of Nico's agonized cries stopped all sign of movement in The Fields of Punishment, even Hades and Persephone stood from their thrones in alarm at the sound.

Fearing for his son, Hades willed himself to appear at Nico's side. He knelt beside the boy sprawled on his back screaming. Hades touched an uncharacteristically gentle finger to his son's forehead and whispered, "ύπνος." Nico blacked out.

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**A/N Ta-da! One painful chapter with an awkward beginning! I'm actually pretty happy with the ending, I was asked for angst and delivered torture, don't worry it's all in the plan *winking face***

***I might write my own account of Nico's first time shadow travelling and put in my story**

**Nico, Nico, Nico**** or I could put it as an extra chapter in here. Let me know what you think in a REVIEW!**

**Thanks to Cannibal Crow from whom I borrowed some wonderful dramatic-ness for Nico's pain (well that was cheerful). Check out ****The Ghost King Chronicles ****by ****Cannibal Crow**** if you like angst and pain and all that other happy stuff! **


	5. The Healing Process

**A/N Voila! Thanks to Monkeygirl77 your REVIEW got me off my butt and updating again!  
Responding to REVIEWs:  
DerangedOtakuFangirl: Glad you liked it!  
MonkeyGirl77: Here is your update! and I agree, "Poor Nico!" I am so mean to him but he had to be you know like THAT for the plot to work  
Disclaimer" I do not own PJO**

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When Nico woke he was surprised to find himself in the palace infirmary with his father sitting at his bedside carefully watching for any sign of pain from the boy. He tried to move himself into a sitting position but even that small exertion caused spots to cloud his vision and he moaned pitifully. A concerned look flashed across Hades' face, but for only a moment, before the god pushed it back.

Noticing his attempt to sit up, a skeletal attendant who Nico hadn't seen before, gently pushed him forward and added another pillow to support his neck and back. Relaxing into the soft fabric of the pillow, Nico turned his attention to his father.

"What happened?" asked the demigod weakly.

"I would very much like to find that out myself. You understood my hint about resuming your responsibilities but I must confess, I was unaware that you would react this way."

Nico showed no signs of having heard what the god had said, "The-the screams… Fields of Punishment…"

"Yes," mused Hades, "the screams from the Fields of Punishment do seem to be what set you off." Nico licked his lips realizing for the first time just how dry his mouth was, "Drink this," said Hades handing him a silver goblet filled to the brim with a steaming golden liquid. _Nectar. _"I have requested Apollo to come and heal you properly; not only your physical wounds but the scars that those giants have left in your memories as well." Nico nodded slowly and took a sip of the honey-coloured drink, relishing in the warmth it spread through him.

He wasn't used to this much attention from his father, when he'd lived in the Underworld he had usually been passed off as second best to Bianca, left to complete menial tasks unnoticed. Constantly overlooked, Nico had lost hope that his father would ever show an interest in his son. Believing that the past days attention had merely been out of embarrassment that his son could be reduced to hiding in a darkened room, he had clung to the hope that his stay in the Underworld would be short lived. Apparently not, as the past days events had led to such drastic action on his father's part. Asking another god for assistance in the healing of a demigod was an unusual occurrence in itself but actually performing the task personally… the very idea was ludicrous.

Hades stood abruptly, as if realizing for the first time that he had let his emotions show to his son and said shortly, "I will return with Apollo later this evening. Stay here." The demigod nodded again and took another sip from the goblet. The god gave him one last searching look before vanishing into thin air, leaving Nico alone with his thoughts.

About half an hour after his father's departure, Nico fell into a restless sleep. His dreams were memories, memories that Nico had long since given up hope of forgetting, torn from the deepest depths of secrecy within Nico's head. When a single memory wove itself together and pushed to the forefront of his dream, Nico began to dread what he would see. He remembered this scene. It was a memory that had been pushed back so far that he had lead himself to believe it had left him completely. A younger Nico di Angelo was huddled against the interior wall of a celestial bronze jar, shaking, whether it was from fear or cold was unclear. Set in front of him was a single seed; the younger Nico stared at it longingly, like a child would a treat they were forbidden from consuming. That one little pomegranate seed was the lifeline of his former self, if it was eaten too soon he wouldn't survive, if it was eaten too late he wouldn't survive. The decision was a lot to place on a seventeen year-old even if it was only a single life. If he didn't survive his band of friends stood no chance of finding and closing the Doors of Death in time. And, you know, he would be dead.

A loud clanging noise startled the younger Nico out of his almost trancelike state. The top of the jar was lifted and the demigod looked up into the face of his captor. The giant grinned horribly down at the boy and reached one scaly arm in to pull him out of his prison. Nico scrambled back to the wall farthest from the giant's groping hand. "Now, now, don't be in such a hurry little one," cooed the giant mockingly, "I think we should have a little talk about your idea of running away." Nico's eyes widened in absolute terror and he paled visibly. Clearly his definition of a 'talk' and the giant's were two very different things.

The giant's fist finally clenched around Nico's squirming body and pulled him out. Still holding Nico at eyelevel, the giant reached for a human size dagger that Nico recognized as his own and tapped it, almost thoughtfully, against his grimy chin.

"Hmm… where should I start?" Nico kicked at the hand squeezed around his middle, "I know, right about here."

The giant drove the dagger to the hilt into Nico's leg drawing shrieks of pain from the boy. He chuckled darkly and yanked the blade out with a sharp twisting motion. Nico yelled in agony upon the blade being pulled from his body. _No, _thought the dreaming Nico, _I will NOT relive this again. It's over! _

A sharp tug behind his naval pulled him out of the dream and he awoke, once more, in the palace infirmary.

"Enceladus," Nico gasped, bolting upright.

"I see your problem, Hades, but I don't know what I can do. This kind of thing heals with time."

Nico turned his head and saw the two gods, Hades and Apollo, conversing beside to his bed. Apollo was leaning back with one elbow resting over the back of his chair speaking casually about the demigod's affliction. Hades, on the other hand, was standing next to one of the high arching windows overlooking the Fields of Asphodel gazing solemnly at the spirits drifting in amongst the poplar trees.

Or he had been until Nico stirred. At the sound of his son's voice, Hades quickly moved to bend over the thin teen and examine his condition. Apollo did the same and for a minute Nico was overwhelmed by the attention of the immortals. He shifted uncomfortably under his father's gaze and moved his attention instead to Apollo.

The sun god had changed from his usual blond teenager form into something slightly more serious for his visit to the Underworld. His usual shaggy mane of blond hair had been replaced by dark brown hair cropped short and glinting in the torchlight, instead of looking Nico's age he seemed to have aged into his late thirties and wore a frown of concentration rather than the laidback smile Nico had seen before. Hades hadn't changed in the slightest since his earlier visit. The same oily black hair fell in a curtain around his pointed face, his usual sneer had been replaced by a furrowed brow and concerned eyes that he would later deny had ever been displayed upon his face.

"Well," began Apollo, "it certainly isn't an ordinary illness. Whatever's affecting you is unique; no one else will ever be affected by this in the same way. Some would react like you did, the scars of the past opening again, some will react by slipping into a coma, and some might even forget who they and the people around them are. No matter what the reaction is there is only ever one way to heal it, I can guarantee that you won't be pleased with the cure." Nico looked at him questioningly, "Time. Only time can heal this. Your brain has yet to shut down the pain that accompanies those memories. After time has passed the memories will fade and you will gradually begin to heal. Until then you should avoid anything that triggers the memory."

"And what are the triggers?" asked Nico uncertainly.

"Apparently the Fields of Punishment, more specifically the screams, giants, but they're all destroyed now so that shouldn't be a problem, and excruciating pain, but that's a good thing to avoid anyway. There may be other triggers but those are all that I am sure of. For your physical strain; use ambrosia and nectar to heal yourself, reasonable amounts though, and be careful with any training. Oh, and I would stop using your powers for a while if I were you."

"Is that all?" asked Hades tiredly, "I need to speak with you alone before you leave, Apollo."

"Yes, yes, of course."

Apollo and Hades went to the other end of the room and began conversing urgently in rapid Greek. Nico only understood two words: 'Αποθήκευση του' – 'save him'

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**A/N Love it? Hate it? Let me know in a REVIEW!**


	6. Old Scars

_Embarrassed._

That one word summed up Nico pretty well. What kind of person collapses in pain while walking up the path to their house? Worse yet, what kind of _demigod_ put themself in that position by simply using their powers? The new attention from his father didn't help much either. While Hades hardly left his son alone nowadays, the emotionless front he displayed caused Nico to believe that he was severely disappointed. Perhaps if Hades just _explained _that he was concerned rather than uncaring Nico wouldn't be so hard on himself. What kind of father let their son think they didn't care for them? A godly one apparently, although, his friends never seemed to have much trouble.

Poseidon always seemed genuinely proud of Percy and he had good reason to be; Percy had saved the world twice, slain Medusa, the Minotaur, a hydra, and gods know how many other things, saved countless satyrs from Polyphemus, had escaped the Underworld twice and done a bunch of other stuff that will undoubtedly be put in the 'Demigod Survival Guides' Nico had heard about. But he was getting off track. Athena trusted Annabeth with her sacred statue and the whole of her honor, Apollo was… well, Apollo, and Hermes' children more than made up for Luke's betrayal in all of their pranks and smaller quests. Why couldn't Hades be as good a (godly) parent as the others? What had Nico possibly done to earn his father's indifference?

At the moment, Nico was lying alone in the place infirmary trying to stave off a wave of nausea without resorting to ambrosia. He knew his father would be in to check on him any minute and would very much appreciate it if the room would stop spinning.

Just his luck, the god of the Underworld chose when Nico was leaning forward clutching his head as the world tilted horrendously to enter the room. Seeing his son in pain, Hades hurried to the boy's bedside and bent over him, gently pushing Nico upright so as to better take in his condition. Offering a goblet of nectar to the pained demigod, he wondered how long these spells of pain would continue to plague his son.

After taking a sip Nico looked up at his father through his over-long fringe. "How long 'til I can leave the infirmary?"

"Apollo advised me to keep you here for two more days at the very least. Longer if these… episodes continue," he added seeing the beads of sweat along Nico's hairline.

The demigod groaned and slumped back against his pillows resulting in nothing more than a large quantity of spots plowing across his vision. Hades shook his head disapprovingly at Nico's wince. _Stop moving! _Nico's brain yelled at him, _Just stay still and maybe he'll go away. _

No such luck.

Instead of leaving like Nico had hoped, Hades sat himself down next to his son's bed; evidently he wanted to talk to him. Great.

"Nico," said the god after some thought, "you have never told anyone about your experience with the giants, correct?" Nico nodded slowly, wondering where this was going. "What did they _do_ to you?"

"Why?" Immediately he regretted saying it. The one thing drilled into his head since he came to the Underworld was 'NEVER question Hades' nothing good ever came from it. Surprisingly, the god didn't reprimand him, instead a concerned look flashed across his face.

"I... I… need, ahem, er… _want_ to know."

Miracle of miracles! Hades _wanted_ something and was actually _asking _for it!

"Um…" Nico was still having trouble comprehending what had just happened, "after they captured me, they tried getting information out of me. Not be force or anything," he added hurriedly, when he saw his father's expression, "just the usual 'we'll torture all your friends' speech. But… when they found out that I wasn't going to give them anything… well, that didn't go down to well with them. They- they," Nico cleared his throat, trying to think of what to say next, "they started to… hurt me." The demigod decided he would rather not use the word: torture, for his own sake. The word was just too close to his memories.

"How?" Hades' face was now a mask of deep concentration, as if he was trying to see his way into Nico's memories just by looking at him.

"A… variety of different things, from beating to… to branding."

At this, the god stood in alarm, "Where?" he hissed.

Nico pulled up the hem of his shirt tentatively to reveal the image of a key branded onto his left side. The skin around the mark was still red and tender and sensitive to the coolness of the air around it. Hades' eyes flashed dangerously when he saw it.

The fabric of Nico's shirt rubbed against some old wounds along his torso causing him to bite his lip to hold back a yelp. His father noticed.

"Let me see," he commanded in a voice of forced calm.

Carefully, and albeit reluctantly, Nico eased his shirt over his head, revealing a tremendous amount of swollen scars and yet another burned mark, right across his chest. Instead of another key, the imprint of a drinking horn had been brutally pressed into the skin. The god was shaking now, the rage building like a tidal wave behind his dark eyes, his lips pressed into a thin line and he left the room in a flash of light.

_Now I've done it, _thought Nico savagely, _if I hadn't shown him…_ he mentally slapped himself. Of course he had had to show Hades, if he hadn't done it willingly there was no doubt in Nico's mind that Hades would force him. _How did I get myself into this?_ the demigod asked himself. _Oh yeah, I didn't come running back to daddy dearest after I dragged my useless butt out of the Apollo cabin's healing tent. _

There was a tentative knock at the door, the sound was so quiet it almost escaped his notice but it didn't fail to jerk Nico from his thoughts.

"Uh…" who in the Underworld would actually knock? "Come in?"

The door swung open to reveal… Persephone? Now that really shocked Nico, his stepmother had come to visit him in the infirmary? Had the whole world gone mad? He wouldn't have been at all surprised to hear news of Charon ferrying souls for free!

"Hello Nico," she said stiffly. Oh, she had been forced to come. That explained it.

"Hey," said Nico, lifting a hand in a half hearted wave.

"Hades has… asked me to help you move back to your room." Nico's heart sank. Had showing his father the wounds really been that bad? Bad enough for him to be kicked out of what he supposed was the Underworld's equivalent of a hospital?

Nevertheless, Nico molded his expression to a look of indifference and nodded. He slid out from under the thin blanket (black of course, what else would you expect?), and grabbed his sword from the ground. Moving to stand beside him, Persephone bade him lean on her and, awkwardly, he struck up a conversation.

"…Why did he send _you_?" Persephone shot him a look, "Not that there's anything wrong with you," he amended quickly, "just… why _you_? If he was going to have someone help me, why not one of the servants? Gods know we have more than enough."

She rolled her eyes and sighed heavily, looking at him in a way that reminded the demigod forcibly of Annabeth. "You just don't see do you?"

"See what?"

"Your father he… never mind, figure it out when you're healed."

* * *

_How _dare_ they? Harming my son in itself is a great insult, but using my own symbols to mark him is-is… well, exactly the kind of stunt the giants would pull. Of course, there isn't anything I can do about them now, the war has long since finished and I am not so stupid as to enter Tartarus to seek vengeance. I doubt Nico even realizes what those marks mean. The boy is exceptionally bright; he just fails to see what is obvious and reads into things too deeply. My relationship with the other gods is an excellent example of this; they scorn me because I was unlucky when my brothers and I drew lots for the control of the three domains, took the woman I loved from me, and still had the gall to ask me for assistance in an Olympian war after making it perfectly clear that I am not one. Still, my son had evidently convinced himself that even immortals make… mistakes, to use his term, and that I should be… the bigger person, yet another strange mortal expression, and forgive them. Thus, he had succeeded in convincing me to help prevent the fall of Olympus. And, I suppose, it was a wise decision after all. I had hoped that with time, as Apollo had promised, the scars would heal but after seeing the brands burned onto Nico..._

Hades was fuming as he marched purposefully through his palace. His intentions were clear to every servant he passed; he was going to have a little chat with his son. Not that he was angry with Nico, quite the opposite actually, it was just that once the boy realized what had been done to him Hades would no doubt be left t pick up the pieces or risk losing his heir forever.

As he reached his son's room he knew something was wrong. Nico was an exceptionally powerful demigod therefore he had an exceptionally strong aura. And Hades couldn't sense it at all. Worried, the god flung the door open and stepped inside. His son was nowhere to be found yet there was no sign of a struggle and Persephone had reported the boy unharmed and safe in his room. Nico had left of his own accord and Hades knew exactly where he went.


	7. Escape and Kidnap

**A/N Contrary to popular belief: I have a life! My concert and jazz bands both have festival season starting and my brother's going to Africa and it's just so BUSY for me right now. Smoothing out chapters 6, 7, and 8 was all a big blur which is now my excuse for 7 being my least favorite. I was actually looking forward to writing this one and now it just seems so bleh! However, I was really looking forward to moving on to the next chapter where all those tiny ity bitty plot bunnies I have bouncing around can form an orderly conga line and do what I've intended from the beggining.**

For this fic:  
-Back to Nico's P.O.V! YAY!  
-**Song? honestly not sure... something by Simple Plan probably... they're good with angry songs that sound like they're written for Nico...  
-Cliffhanger is resolved! (be gratefull...)**

Disclaimer: I don't own PJO

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Nico was in no shape to hear what his father would no doubt tell him when he got past the blasting his son to smithereens stage. All he wanted was to be able to see the smiling faces of people who would be genuinely happy that he was back on his feet. The demigod snorted to himself, like there was anyone left besides Percy and Rachel who gave a damn. Overwhelmed by an unexpected wave of longing for his old camp, Nico rolled over and buried his face in the black silk bed linen of his four-poster. There was no way he could get back to his old life now, was there? Did he even want to? The life he had left behind when he went searching for the Doors of Death had comprised mostly of running errands for his father and fighting, in vain, to convince the other half-bloods that he wasn't all bad just because he was Hades' son. Now, after fighting in _two_ wars, Nico stood a chance of being accepted. Was it worth it though? If these people lacked the ability to respect someone despite their differences, were they worth the effort?

In a split second decision fueled entirely by the utter desire to be accepted, Nico slid off the bed and onto the stone floor. It didn't take much effort to sneak through the Underworld and into one of his secret escape routes, _(_hey, he didn't have to tell Hades _everything)_ not when his father thought he was bedridden. It was quite strange actually; the god of the dead was being overprotective of the son he had always said was useless. Confining him to his room or the infirmary 'for his own good' was definitely getting old. Okay, it was getting old to Nico. It suited Hades just fine, his son could be kept out of the way until he was healed and could return to his usual responsibilities (running errands in the Underworld).

Nico was walking through a dark tunnel out of the Underworld trying to ignore the sound of small bones snapping under his feet. When he neared the end of the tunnel he saw a door. Nothing special, he doubted Janus would even give it a second glance. It just looked like an ordinary metal stage door except that in red letters above pictures of a grinning skull were the words: 'D.O.A Recording Studios'. Nico strode toward the familiar image confidently but stopped abruptly when he heard his name.

"Nico."

He turned, speak of the devil, Janus. A humanoid figure up until the neck where he split into two heads, he was dressed like a hotel doorman and was tossing a key from hand to hand.

"Nico," the left head again, "are you sure this is what you want? It's not too late to turn back."

"Uh…"

"Be quiet," snapped the right head.

"Excuse me?"

"Not you," said both heads together.

"Go through the door if you want," urged the right head, "your father won't even notice… for a while."

"Stop being such a bad influence," scolded the left head, "do you want his father to track us down?"

The right head opened its mouth to respond but Nico cut him off, "Will you two shut up? I'm leaving, stop trying to change my mind!"

"_We _aren't trying to change your mind," scoffed both heads at once, "your subconscious creates the choices we offer. You are trying to change your own mind." With that, the god stuck his key into the air like he was unlocking a door and vanished, leaving Nico feeling more confused, annoyed, and guilty than ever. Nevertheless, he shrugged it off and walked through the door.

When he came out of the door he found himself in the back of the recording studio. It didn't actually take much effort to sneak passed Charon and into a not-so nice back alley next to D.O.A Recording Studio to contemplate his chances of making it to Camp Half-Blood. If his powers were capped he would undoubtedly be brought straight back to Hades, if he made it to camp Hades would notice he was missing and bring him back to the Underworld anyway. Nico shrugged his shoulders and decided that, since he had nothing left to lose, he might as well give it a go now that he was here.

Bracing himself for failure, Nico stepped back into a shadow and concentrated on Camp Half-Blood. Immediately the familiar sensation of Shadow Travelling swept over him and Nico relaxed into the darkness. He closed his eyes, appreciating the relief it brought him to its fullest… until he heard them gasping.

He opened his eyes again in surprise. Rather than appearing in his cabin as he had intended, Nico had arrived in front of the head table. In full view of the other tables. During dinner. Well, this is just fantastic.

"Ahem," the sound of a clearly unhappy person clearing their throat behind him caused Nico to swing around rather quickly to face none other than Mr. D himself. "This is exactly the sort of thing that I don't appreciate Mr. Anderson, interrupting my dinner, how rude." Nico rolled his eyes at both the butchering of his name and the god's likeness to a sulking five year-old. "What does corpse breath want this time?"

Nico's expression darkened, "I'm not here for him, I came on my own."

"Really? Peter Johnson told me your father had collected you from your apartment two days ago. He also told me that you were… grounded, I believe is the mortal term."

Nico sent his signature I-will-murder-you-painfully glare at the Poseidon table where Percy was trying his best to disappear into the woodwork. "Did he?" said the demigod through gritted teeth. "Well, my father didn't send me so I'll just be on my way…" Nico turned to sit at his table but stopped when he saw the looks he was getting.

The campers were all staring at him with a mixture of distaste and fear. _So their attitude hasn't changed, this has all been for nothing, _thought Nico. The son of Hades sat down at his table doing his best to ignore the dirty looks from the campers.

As soon as the other demigods began to trickle away from the dining pavilion Nico joined the throng heading in the direction of the campfire, hoping his father wouldn't realize he was gone.

He couldn't have been more wrong. As the crowd thickened Nico was pressed into the center of it and a blinding flash illuminated the evening sky. When the light flickered out, the god of the Underworld was  
revealed, standing thirty feet high in facing the crowd of frightened campers.

"Where is he?" roared Hades.

The whole crowd turned to see the god of the Underworld, standing a good twenty feet high, seething behind them. He wasn't proud of it, but Nico was shaking with fear along with the rest of the campers. _I'm screwed. _

"Who is it you want this time, corpse breath?" yawned a bored looking Mr. D.

"My son," Hades growled.

"Somewhere over there I guess," he said waving a hand vaguely in the direction of the cowering demigods.

Hades advanced on the campers, bearing down on them menacingly. "Give up my son, or I will damn each and every one of you to the Fields of Punishment."

"Hades, I cannot allow you to threaten-" Chiron stopped short; Hades had conjured a ball of dark of fire in the palm of his hand, his eyes glowing dangerously.

Nico took a sharp intake of breath with the other campers and realized he would have to return to his father or risk the lives (and afterlives) of his fellow demigods. He let out the breath and began shouldering his way to the push to the front of the crowd. Hades gaze hardened when he saw his son shouldering his way to the front. The god of the Underworld strode forward to meet his son, dissipating the ball of fire as he went. When the demigod cleared the front line of campers Hades grabbed his shoulder in a vicelike grip and yanked him away from his fellows.

"This, demigods, is a prime example of what happens when you disobey your godly parent."

"Really?" snorted Mr. D, "Nico assured me he was free to do as he pleased."

"No I didn't," said Nico, not even bothering to mention the fact that the correct name had been used, "I said my father didn't send me."

"What were you _thinking_? I warned you. I explicitly said that leaving the Underworld now would have consequences." The crowd was gradually moving back, trying to distance themselves as much as possible from the god and his son.

"I thought I might actually have _friends_ if I came back." At least the campers had the decency to look ashamed of themselves, even if they weren't about to stand up to Hades.

The god sneered at his son, "Did it work? Do they accept you now? You went against me wishes in full knowledge of what would happen because you wanted some _friends._" When Hades said it like that Nico felt foolish for even thinking of it. "Nonetheless, I will allow you one last chance, you're returning to the Underworld with me and we will discuss this later."

"And if I don't come?" asked Nico defiantly. This argument was starting to remind Nico forcefully of the one they'd had in his apartment.

"Do I look like I'm giving you a choice?" he snarled. Nico just glared.

With one last look at the shocked and appalled faces of the campers, Nico disappeared into the blackness with his father.

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**A/N Mwahahahahaha! Another little cliffhanger (kinda...) 'cause you guys absolutely loved the last one *laughs evilly***

Keep an eye out for Princes: Year 1 and Combining the Underworlds ADAPTED to be updated, I've gotten a bunch of ideas lately but like I said before you embarked on this magical chapter (lol) my life is pretty busy so I won't make any promises


	8. The Bibliotheca Obscura

**A/N Hey guys! I have a list of excuses for why the update took so long but it would probably be longer than the chapter itself. Speaking of which, this isn't a very long chapter (1004 words to be precise) but that's mainly because when I got this far I realized that I couldn't continue without a but of research (meaning: reading 'This Dark Endeavor' AGAIN) but this idea for the chapter was started by a reader of Nico, Nico, Nico two-four months ago and I'm only just posting it.**

X-Song of the Night-X was the winner of a little contest I ran on Nico, Nico, Nico and the prize was a chapter written to their specifications. The ever lasting patience I've been shown is unbelievably appreciated. So let's make ourselves look ridiculous and give a round of applause through our computer screens.

E/A/N I won't be responding to reviews unless someone asks a question or I think they deserve a public response so... sorry about that but it's just a bit complicated since I haven't been updating for a while.

Disclaimer: I don't own PJO  


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Nico ran through the halls of the familiar palace trying to get his father's angry face out of his mind. He was completely unaware of where his feet took him. Obsidian walls scrubbed to fine polish, black silk tapestries with silver detailing, and skeletal servants swept across his vision as he tore passed. In truth, Nico wasn't sure why he was running, if his Hades wanted to punish him there wasn't anything he could do to escape. This feeling of hopelessness was all too familiar to the demigod; often, in his past, Hades would fly into a rage and inflict severe punishments. Although, Nico would ordinarily have to commit a huge offence to warrant a few days in the Fields, more often Hades would put a cap on shadow traveling as he had done the other day, to keep Nico in the Underworld (_under_grounding).

As the demigod slowed to catch his breath he realized that he must've taken a wrong turn and had ended up in Hades' and Persephone's private wing. On either side of the carpeted hallway were two sets of dark wooden double doors. Turning around slowly, Nico took in the doors. He frowned as he examined their intricate carvings of pomegranate trees, flowers, and grinning skulls. The craftsmanship was so precise, so flawless, that Nico suspected that Daedalus himself had designed them. Definitely a special part of the palace, nowhere else was this ornate. Silk tapestries depicting torturous ways to die, a high arching window looked over the Fields of Asphodel, and a red carpet embroidered with gold ran the length of the wing, and vases of jewel flowers (Persephone's doing, no doubt) were placed on pedestals at regular intervals along the wall. By now, Nico had realized that that his situation couldn't get any worse. His father knew that the thing Nico wanted above all was to be accepted at camp, keeping him in the Underworld was quite possibly the most effective way to prevent that from happening.

Taking a deep breath, the demigod opened the set of doors in front of him and entered. To say that the interior was what he had expected what be a downright lie, and Nico, no matter what else may be said, was no liar. The worst the son of Hades had been prepared for was perhaps a torturing chamber of some kind (though, even Hades didn't keep one of _those_ in his place). What he found instead was shelves upon shelves of leather bound books with Greek titles creating a maze through the cathedral sized room. Nico took step after cautious step up and down the rows of books until he found a sort of sitting area, a semi-circle of leather armchairs around an empty hearth. The sound of the demigod's footsteps seemed louder as he approached the chair with its back to him. Reaching out his hand to grab the back of the chair-

"What are you doing in here?"

Nico jumped back in shock as his father rose from his seat. "I-I..."

"No matter," _er….. what? _"Sit," Hades gestured to the armchair facing his own.

"What is this place?" Nico asked awe struck by the sheer number of shelves filling the giant room.

Hades chuckled, amused by his son's wonder. "Haven't you guessed?" Nico just stared at him blankly. "This is the Bibliotheca Obscura." The demigod translated the Latin in his head, 'The Obscure Library' well that fits.

"Why didn't you show me this before?"

"You didn't need to know," the god said stiffly.

For a moment the pair just sat there, sizing each other up. That was, until Hades said the very words that Nico had been sure the god would never utter, "I realize I may have overreacted about your leaving the Underworld without permission." The demigod's jaw dropped. "You want to be accepted and, I admit, being _my _son does not make it easy for you. However," how did Nico know that was coming? "I did warn you that leaving the Underworld without my permission would have consequences."

The dark-haired teen just groaned, "What this time?"

Hades raised his eyebrows disapprovingly but continued nevertheless, "For now, I want you to tell me how you left the Underworld." Nico tried to protest but his father cut him off with a sharp, "Humor me."

"There's a tunnel, just outside of the gates that leads straight to the studio. I just followed the tunnel to the door…" he trailed off, remembering his encounter with Janus.

"What is it?" asked the god, noticing the distant look in his son's eyes.

The demigod shook his head, "It's nothing," but, seeing disbelieving look his father shot his way, he elaborated. "On my way out Janus appeared in the tunnel. He told me that if I turned back you would be…. lenient. He told me that it was me that gave him the choices to offer, that he just brings what I'm thinking into light."

The rage Hades had displayed at the camp suddenly came rushing back. He stood from his seat so quickly that he knocked the leather chair over.

"I believed your actions were merely the product of too much time to think none of the right thoughts! Another god tried to dissuade you and you _ignored_ them?! Your own thoughts used to make you rethink your choice and yet you went anyway?!" The god of the Underworld now towered over his son who was still clenching the arms of his chair in fear. Nico was breathing hard, looking up at his father with wild eyes. "I knew that you held me in little regard but going against your own better judgment to _spite_ me? What breed of coward have I spawned? Rather than returning to the duties entailed with your parentage you shied away out of pure cowardly instinct to come out on top by taking the easiest path."

With his last words still echoing through the chamber, Hades vanished, leaving a frightened son and a vicious atmosphere in his wake.


	9. Of Flames and Photos

**A/N** **Hey guys! I'm back and I have a thank you to say :) GIANT thank you to everyone who voted on the poll, it really helped with the chapter I'm posting after this one now that I know who Nico's buddy is going to be. A quick note to "Guest" (you'll know if its you by the answer) You can actually label REVIEWs if you aren't logged in or don't have an account. Above the box where you write your REVIEW is a little rectangle that says something like "reviewing as..." and you can type a name in there.**

**For this fic:**  
**A song for this fic: Hit Me Where It Hurts The Most by Every Avenue**  
**Disclaimer: I do not own PJO**

* * *

Oh_ gods._

Nico ran a shaking hand through his already messy hair, taking deep breaths to calm himself as he did so.

_Oh gods oh gods oh gods._

He nervously leaned back against the arm of the chair he was sitting in and exhaled heavily.

_Oh gods oh gods oh gods oh gods oh gods._

Rising shakily from his chair, Nico began to pace wearing a scuffed trail into the stone. The low thumping emanating from his every step filled the silent library, working it's way into his brain and putting rhythm to his thoughts.

_That was close ._

Thump-thump.

_Thought I was a goner._

Thump-thump.

I didn't think he'd be that angry.

Thump-thump.

What am I going to-

**CRASH!**The demigod had been too consumed by his thoughts to notice that his once straight had been steadily veering to the right creating a diagonal line directly into a polished, wooden, end-table piled high with books. Muttering curses under his breath, Nico bent to restore the felled table to its original position next to Hades' vacated armchair. The demigod crouched amid the heap of fallen books and began stacking the dusty volumes on the dark surface.

He had made a significant dent in the pile when an envelope, wrinkled and yellowing with age, slipped out from a black, leather-bound book on which the cover depicted a golden rose gleaming in the torchlight. On the front of the aged envelope was a name scrawled in his father's familiar, loopy handwriting, _Maria di Angelo. _Glancing around, though he knew he was alone, the son of Hades tore open the flap with his finger and tugged the folded paper out of its confines. As Nico unfolded the old paper, a delicious crinkling sound met his ears and he feared it might tear by that one gentle move. Tucked inside the carefully folded letter was a photo, a simple black and white image of a man and a woman settled on a couch with two children, one boy and one girl, standing at their feet. The demigod's newest discovery depicted four people. Two, a man and a woman, sat side by side on the end of a sofa while two children, a boy and a girl, crowded around their legs. The young girl would no doubt grow to resemble the woman whose legs she was reaching towards but, though the black and white picture didn't portray it well her eyes matched that of the man bove her perfectly. _The di Angelo's_ read the caption. _If that's right, _thought Nico, _(which it must be, why else would it be in Hades' library?) that must be my father, _he traced his finger from Hades' to the woman beside him, _that must be my mother, _slowly, he dragged his finger to the young girl's face, _that must be Bianca, _slower still, Nico's finger slid across to the young boy, _so that's me. _For the time being he set the photo to the side and focussed his attentions on the paper. It had yellowed with age, the ink was slightly smeared as though it had been written in a hurry, and, unless he was very much mistaken, a tear drop marked the second paragraph.

_My dearest Maria,  
I fear that by now you will have forgotten me, it's been years since you brought Nico into the world and I have not made myself available to you in that time. Keep in mind, I have been watching over our children as they grow as I have been watching over you since we met those years ago. Oh, how I've missed you but I dared not return to you with Persephone's watchful eye. She has discovered my infidelity and reported to my brother and her father, Zeus. For this reason I now urge you escape to a safer place. Travel to Los Angeles, I can better protect you there. Despite family ties I very much doubt that Zeus would hesitate to slaughter Bianca and Nico, therefore, if you heed my words and come closer to my realm of power, it may be enough to deter him out of fear rather than loyalty._

I do wish I was able to tell you this in person, I long to see you again, to hear your voice, to kiss your lips…. I am confident that we will meet again in time. I will not rest until you are safe in my arms. Take care of our children, they need you just as much as you need them. Remember, you are safe in Los Angeles. Hurry, if not for your sake then for Bianca and Nico.

Do not forget me,  
Hades

Upon finishing the letter, Nico let out a long, low whistle. _Wow…._ he thought, stunned. It was definitely written by Hades, the demigod recognized the handwriting and it was exactly how the god would have written a letter to the woman he loved. Two sentences of affection and the rest a warning. Typical.

"What have you done?"

Nico jumped at the unexpected voice, half thinking that his father had found him reading a letter to his mother despite the more rational part of his brain assuring him that it most definitely wasn't the death god's voice. Rather than his father's angry face, Nico was met by Persephone's stern expression. Oddly enough, his stepmother was the thing that brought him to realise how his situation must look from the outside: a half-blood, after disobeying his godly parent, wanders into a private part of said parent's palace and is found, (after being shouted at yet again by his father) in a pile of books, clutching a photo, with his best deer-in-the-headlights eyes gazing up at the first person who enters the room. _Well, this isn't suspicious at all. _

Sighing, the goddess unfolded her arms and looked, almost desperately, at her step-son. "What did you tell him this time?"

Nico, who'd been expecting the usual explosion of fury, sound himself scrambling for what to say, "Err….. the truth?"

"Why? You stupid boy!" Ah, there's the anger. "Despite what he might tell you his father doesn't know everything! Some things are better left unsaid."

"In case you didn't hear, I wasn't really being given a choice!" _How many godly shouting matches will I have to endure today? _"Excuse me for wanting to mend whatever relationship I had with my father. He was willing to talk things out with me! Until….." Nico's face falls as he realises how it actually happened. Hades was willing to talk things out until Nico told him the truth. What did his father want then? Did he want the truth? Or did he want to have his son tell him what he wanted to hear.

"Until you _didn't_ tell him what he wanted to hear," finished Persephone.

"Yeah…." said the demigod, his gaze moving to the empty fireplace.

"What's that you're holding?" asked Persephone, her tone suddenly sharp again.

"Nothing," Nico said hurridly, tucking the photo and letter into his pocket. But not fast enough.

"Hand it over," she ordered briskly.

He jumped to his feet and backed away, "No, these are mine."

She scoffed , "You stole them from this very room, now hand them over!"

The goddess raised her hand and the papers flew straight out of Nico's jeans pocket even as he snatched for them. He growled at his step-mother as she unfolded the letter. Persephone's eyes grew angrier and angrier as she scanned through the letter, she finished with a yell of fury that brought the fire to light again. The goddess stalked towards the now lit fireplace and hurled the crumpled papers into the flames.

"No!" yelled Nico, lunging for the falling pieces. Too late, they had already landed amidst the fuel and flames.  
With one last furious look at her step-son, Persephone disappeared leaving Nico reaching into the fire to retrieve his findings. Ignoring the burning of his skin, the demigod grabbed around for the photo and letter clutching them to his chest when at last he succeeded.

_That's it,_ he thought, _I'm keeping these safe._

* * *

**A/N by the way, if you want to see the picture of Nico's family it is now my profile picture. PLEASE NOTE: I DID NOT draw it. I found it on tumblr and I don't even know who drew it in the first place but I make NO CLAIM to it. **


End file.
